Understanding links: Web Science and hyperlink studies at macro, meso and micro-levels

Web Science has favoured macroscopic approaches which have revealed much about the Web's structural patterns. We argue that contextualised knowledge about hyperlinks on the Web has not advanced at the same rate and that complementary intermediate and micro-scale investigations are essential for a better understanding of the motivations, functions and meanings of these links. We present an investigation that attempted to overcome the shortcomings of current theoretical frameworks and methodological techniques. The focus of this article lies in the demonstration of the viability of studying the web at different scales of analysis without loss of coherence guided by the assumption of the Web as media. Results of our quali-quantitative, multi-scale and study of the international connectivity of websites registered in Brazil are presented. At the macro-scale, previous indications of high international connectivity are confirmed. Intermediate (meso) and micro-scale analyses focused on the connectivity between Brazilian and German websites and contradicted the conclusions about the meanings and functions of hyperlinks commonly associated with structural analysis. Links between Brazilian and German websites were shown to derive from a large number of formal and generic links, challenging the prevalent association that large quantities of incoming links are an indication of high relevance.